When Unexpected Blessings Come in the Form of Two Puppies

My family was originally a one-dog family that became a two-dog family by chance. When Buddy passed away, leaving us with only Peanut, we chose to adopt Roscoe three months later because our fur-baby family didn’t feel complete anymore. And that was it. We were done—no more dogs—until life happened.

Two starving pups needed a home

I grew up just outside of Benton where my mother still lives, about 100 miles away from where I live now. I talk to my mom daily and try to visit when I can. This spring and summer, she’s had some health issues, so I’ve been to her house more frequently.

At the beginning of June, after a thunderstorm, my mom heard whining near her storage shed. Upon investigating, she found two starving puppies. Being out in the country, it’s not uncommon for unwanted animals to be dumped, and Mom figured that was what had happened.

The brown puppy with a bobbed tail was a girl, and the brindle-colored puppy was a boy.

A few days later, I met the puppies, helped feed them, and contacted several rescue organizations. All were full. The only place that might have been able to take them was a shelter that is forced to euthanize animals due to overcrowding.

Caring for the puppies was too much for Mom, so after talking things over with my husband, we decided to foster them at our house while trying to find them a home.

Relocating the puppies

I took my daughter with me to my mom’s house on June 11 so she could help me with the puppies during our drive home. I also borrowed two small pet carriers from my in-laws to make the drive easier. Well, my daughter instantly fell in love with the puppies, and we decided on temporary names since we had to call them something. The girl would be Stella, and the boy would be Stanlee (yep, as in Stan Lee).

The drive home was terrible because both puppies got carsick and cried most of the way. We had to stop a couple of times to clean up, making our drive seem to last forever, but we finally made it home.

Foster fail

My husband and son met us at our carport and helped unload the puppies. The pitiful babies instantly stole their hearts, too. We took Stanlee and Stella into our backyard to meet Roscoe and Peanut. No one was mean, but the OG dogs kept their distance after sniffing the puppies.

We bathed the little boogers and had some snuggle time. It was less than two hours before we decided that this was no longer a foster situation. These babies were home.

Vet visits and potty training

We took the puppies to our vet right away, started them on flea, tick, and heartworm preventive meds, and gave them the first round of vaccinations. Thankfully, they were worm-free.

Other vet trips followed for vaccinations, an embedded tick removal for Stella, and a hurt leg for Stanlee. Stella also had to go on antibiotics for an infected wound on her neck. We talked to the vet about littermate syndrome and got some pointers to help avoid it since we can’t stand the thought of separating the two pups. They were already bonded from their rough start.

Potty training puppies isn’t for the weak. It’s freakin’ hard! We went through a lot of floor cleaner and paper towels during the first few weeks. Also, lots of treats and positive reinforcement. The puppies didn’t take long to master the dog door, especially with their older dog brothers to follow. It just took a bit to equate that outside was the place to potty. Stella caught on a bit before Stanlee.

Now, almost three months later, we’re over the hump of potty training and have very few accidents. The main issue is rainy days. Fortunately, we don’t have carpet in our house, and the puppies are not allowed in the bedrooms unsupervised, so cleaning up is easy.

Once the puppies are six months old, they’ll be spayed and neutered, have dangling dew claws removed, and get microchips implanted while they’re under anesthesia. We’ll make sure these babies are well cared for and loved for the rest of their lives.

Settling in

Puppies chew a lot and on just about everything. The bottom of my ottoman is frayed, three small throw rugs died, several dog toys were torn up, and multiple socks, scrunchies, and other small random objects were destroyed.  Thanks to little puppy teeth, both of our recliners now have a rustic look on the handles.

Most recently, Stella (aka “Princess of Destruction”) chewed a hole in my home office area rug. I’ll replace it later, when she decides to stop chewing on everything. Both pups are already excellent guard-dogs-in-training.

Peanut and Roscoe have accepted their new siblings and taken the changes in stride, especially Roscoe. He loves playing with the puppies. Peanut tolerates them and plays sometimes, which is pretty good for a grouchy old man Chiweenie.

Our main forms of discipline include:

• Sternly yelling, “No!”
• Redirecting to an appropriate activity/behavior/toy
• A spray bottle of water

We’re also working on leash training when it’s not hot as hell outside and basic commands. Training will be a slow process, but we’re up for the challenge, and the puppies are definitely on board for the treats involved.

We’re a four-dog family now

Despite my initial apprehension about owning four dogs, we’re handling it well. My family and I fell in love with these puppers pretty quickly. I didn’t know I needed them until they were here. I worried about affording their care, but another blessing came in the form of an unexpected raise at work that easily covered the vet costs and extra food we needed for the puppies.

Plus, my mom had also fallen in love with the puppies while she was trying to care for them. With my family keeping them, she can get updates and visit them without worrying about their upkeep.

Since I work from home, I get to spend every day with the dogs, and they love hanging out with me in my office.

Readers, let me know in the comments about an unexpected blessing in your life.

Thanks for reading,

Brandi Easterling Collins